


The Best Gift of All

by amamiya_toki



Series: Song of the Sun [7]
Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Birthday Presents, Family, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 09:51:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14767307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amamiya_toki/pseuds/amamiya_toki
Summary: It is soon Sougo's birthday, and what is a birthday without presents? With their mother away, the children of the Tsunashi family are tasked with choosing his presents. However, it had unexpectedly become a competition! Who would be the victor?





	The Best Gift of All

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic featuring the whole Tsunashi family, and also the debut of the family's little princess, Yukiko! I'll babble more about the children in the endnotes.
> 
> I had initially intended to write something similar for Mother's Day, but I couldn't make it in time due to working overtime. So have an early birthday fic for Sougo instead!
> 
> Enjoy!

"Say, do all of you have plans for tomorrow?"

All four children of the Tsunashi family paused in the middle of their meal to pay attention to what their father had asked them.

It was a Friday evening, and everyone was at the dining table enjoying a simple dinner of curry after a long day of work or school. The dish was made by Sougo, husband of Ryuunosuke and mother of their four beautiful children before he left for his overnight trip to a hot spring resort with Rokuya Mitsuki, a friend of the family.

"I was supposed to have soccer practice, but it got cancelled." The oldest, Sakuya, spoke up first. He was an energetic teenager in his second year of middle school and the ace-in-the-making of his soccer team. "I was thinking of going to Sora's place to hang out, but his grandparents are coming over to see the baby and have dinner so he told me not to go over."

"Instead of just hanging out, I'm sure Sorata-san prefers if you did some studying for once.." Haruto, now in his fifth year of middle school, shook his head at his older brother in disdain. "I have no plans, dad."

"I don't… either…" The third child, Shizuki, replied softly. Despite having started his second year of elementary school, he was still a quiet and meek child who was easily frightened.

The youngest and only girl in the family, Yukiko, shook her head instead of replying with words. She was four years but three school cohorts younger than Shizuki, and while she was not as shy as her brother she often chose not to speak.

"That's good. I was thinking that we should all go shopping tomorrow for presents."

"Presents?" Sakuya frowned, wondering what the special occasion was.

Haruto, however, knew the reason almost immediately. "It's for Mom's birthday, isn't it? It's coming soon."

"Oh!" Haruto's words jolted Sakuya's memory. "It's next Monday!"

"That's right." Ryuunosuke continued. "I was thinking that instead of one big present, we should all get four little presents, one for the each of you, to surprise him. I'll pay, of course."

"I want to surprise Momma," Yukiko stated her opinion, the golden eyes she inherited from her father and grandmother glowing with excitement. "I'll choose the best present."

"I'll choose the best for Mom too…"

"As the oldest, I won't lose!"

"Why has this suddenly become a competition…" Haruto sighed. "But, I'm sure mine won't pale in comparison, either."

Ryuunosuke laughed joyously, happy to see his children getting along as always. It reminded him of the time he and his younger half-brothers had competed to find the best present for their mother for Mother's Day.

"Well then, we'll head out in the morning, just as the shops open. But make sure to choose something that's less than two thousand yen, okay?"

"Got it!"

"Noted."

"Yes…"

"Okay."

That evening, each of the four thought hard about what they wanted to give their beloved mother, who had devoted all his time and energy to looking after and raising them. However, it was not so much the present itself they were concerned about, but the way their feelings would be expressed by that particular item.

The next morning, despite their excitement, was like any other morning. Sakuya was the first of the four to wake up. His Yukiko was next, so he brought her to the washroom to help her prepare to start the day. It was a task that he took great pride in, especially the part where he chooses her outfit each and every morning.

"Good morning, dad!" He beamed cheerfully as he entered the living room, walking hand-in-hand with his sister. "Look! What do you think?"

As the weather forecast had predicted heavy showers, he chose clothes that would match her favourite light yellow poncho and rain boots. His choice was relatively simple: a striped white and navy long-sleeved T-shirt that matched the one he wore, with her favourite maroon-coloured skirt and a pair of black tights.

"Good morning, Saku, Yuki. She looks great as always." Their father, who was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, peered over to look. "I'll help to do her hair later after breakfast. What do you think looks good on our princess today?"

"Twin braids?"

"Got it. Any preferences for accessories?"

"I'll leave that up to you. Do you need me to help you set the table?"

"Mmm, not really, but I'd like you to check if Haru and Shizu are awake."

"I am, Dad," Haruto announced his entrance as he walked into the dining room with a book in hand. "Good morning."

"Morning, Haru!"

"Big brother, you're loud as always." Haruto sighed. "Shizu's still asleep, by the way. He was staying up later than usual doing something at his desk. You should go wake him."

"Right!"

The poor boy was still fast asleep when his brother burst into the room and called for him to wake up. His loud voice startled him, and as he woke up he nearly fell off the top bunk of the bunk bed he shared with his second brother. Fortunately, he did not actually fall, but it had left him feeling rattled as his brother led him by the hand to the toilet to wash his face.

When they sat down for breakfast, it was a few minutes to eight. They finished their meal less than half an hour later, as they were quite hungry.

"Dad, you're going to do Yuki's hair, right? I'll do the dishes!" Sakuya quickly volunteered, gathering everyone's dishes after they had finished and thanked their father for making them the delicious meal.

"I'll help too..."

"Thanks, Shizu! Can I put you in charge of the drying?"

"L-Leave it to me!"

"It's up to you, then!"

The five of them had intended to leave home around nine-twenty in the morning, as only took about 30 minutes by car to reach Tokyo, where their father had intended to bring them to do their gift hunting. However, the children were all ready to leave home at nine on the dot.

"Dad, hurry up! Let's go already!"

"Why are all of you so fired up today...?"

Normally, it would take the family ages to get ready to go out. Well, Sakuya would not have a problem seeing how he enjoyed being outdoors more than in, but the rest of the children would take more time to prepare to leave. Today, they were ready even before their father was, which was a very rare exception. Because of this, Ryuunosuke was very confused and found it difficult to understand their overflowing enthusiasm.

In the end, they left earlier than they had planned to.

As Sougo was due to arrive home before dinner, they had to return before that as they would have to prepare their evening meal before that as well. Ryuunosuke had already bought the ingredients the night before, so they did not have to worry about that matter.

Despite it being a weekend, the family managed to find an empty parking lot easily at one of the narrow lanes near the area they intended to do their shopping at. As they hit the main street, however, little Yukiko tugged on her father's clothing.

"Dada, I wanna go somewhere."

As the child rarely made requests of any kind, it was a little unusual to see her ask for

"Where do you want to go, Yuki? The toilet, perhaps?"

The girl shook her head. "The supermarket."

Everyone was startled by this, as they could not come up with a reason as to why she had suggested something like that.

"Is there something you want to buy from there?"

She nodded in reply to her father's question. "Momma's present."

"Ah!"

At the exact moment she had finished speaking, Sakuya let out a loud yelp. He quickly slapped his hand over his mouth to shut himself up.

"Is something the matter, big brother?" Haruto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"N-No, nothing at all?"

Sakuya was a bad liar, and everyone could see right through him. However, as the eldest child, he could not pick a childish fight over a small matter, especially not with his adorable sister even if he suspected that they had both come up with the same idea for their mother's birthday present.

True enough, they did have the same idea... well, almost the same.

In the end, they managed to find a supermarket nearby, thanks to Haruto utilising his father's smartphone to do so. Only Ryuunosuke followed his daughter in, while his three sons waited at the cashier near the exit. Yukiko asked to try paying for the item on her own, the way her brothers do when helping their parents on errands. Ryuunosuke agreed, passing the money to the girl before joining his sons at the exit.

"Next customer, please!"

"This, please."

At first sight, the young woman at the cashier could not help but to fawn over how cute the child was. However, her expression completely changed upon seeing the item that was placed on the counter.

"Ta-Tabasco H-Ha-Habanero...?!"

"A present for Momma."

"I-I see!"

The clerk scanned the item and quoted its price. The exact amount had been prepared by Ryuunosuke for Yukiko, so all she had to do was reach up to the counter and place the money she had been given there. The coins were carefully counted and collected, and the item passed to her in a plastic bag.

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Yuki, what did you get for mom?" Haruto asked although he had already guessed from the clerk's reaction.

"This."

In the plastic bag she held up was a box. A picture of its contents, a familiar bottle, was printed on the box.

"Isn't that the spiciest variety of Tabasco sauce..." Shizuki's face paled just by seeing the red colour of the box. Unlike his older siblings and mother, he did not seem to have any tolerance for spice.

"I knew it," Sakuya sighed, muttering under his breath so no one can hear him.

In the end, they really came up with the same idea. What was he to get for his mother's present now?

"Where shall we go to next?"

"Is there a place that we can get daily necessities and other household goods?" It was Haruto's turn to make a suggestion.

"Hmmm... I think there's a T*kyu H*nds nearby. I went there the last time I came here with Sora and Mana."

"Tenn likes that place too, so sometimes he stops by there if there's a job nearby. It's on the way to the shopping mall too." Ryuunosuke noted. "Do you want to go there?"

"Yes."

"Let's go, then."

Upon arriving at their destination, they went straight up to the floor that sold lifestyle goods.

Everyone was curious as to what Haruto had in mind for a present. Unlike children his age, his choice of presents was always practical. Sakuya had once commented that his choice of presents reminded him of the things that his grandfather, Ousaka Soushi who Haruto is the closest with, chose for them for Christmas.

However, they did not expect that the boy would choose a pair of bedroom slippers, of all things.

"I overheard Mom say that he needed to get a new pair last week when I got home from school. He has been wearing his current pair for a while now, so I thought that it would be a perfect present for him."

"But isn't lavender and white stripes kind of... I don't know, plain? Why not go for something a little bolder... maybe like this one with the multi-coloured polka dots?"

"Simple is best, big brother," Haruto stated his opinion as if it were a matter-of-fact. "Dad, I'll be getting these."

"Sure."

Two down, two more to go.

After they left the store where Haruto picked his present, the family headed straight for the mall. It was a relatively large and there were many shops to look through.

However, that was not necessarily a good thing.

The more shops they passed by, the more anxious Sakuya got.

Sure, he was not the only one who had not chosen something for his mother. However, there was nothing that suited his fancy or made him confident that his mother would like his choice more than what his siblings have chosen.

Flowers was the first idea that had come to mind, but it was much too normal to be a special birthday gift. Plus, he and his brothers already gave his mother a small bouquet of flowers for Mothers' day out of their allowance, which was two weeks ago.

Clothes was another idea, but he did not know his mother's size nor the styles that he liked. If he were here with Rokuya Manami, one of his childhood friends, neither would have been a problem.

Maybe he could get something related to his mother's interests and hobbies, which are making hand-sewn items. In their neighbourhood community, Sougo was known for hand-making the bags that his children bring to the kindergarten, as well as other small items. He was also challenging himself often with making new items. Considering that, a reference book would have been nice, if not for the fact that he had already bought too many.

Cute items were out of the question, as his mother was not one who paid much heed to characters and mascots.

By this point, he was out of options.

Was there really nothing else that he could think of?

Fortunately, his father had noticed his dilemma and gave the teenager a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Shall we have lunch first and continue looking around later? It's already this late, and I'm sure everyone's hungry by now so let's go grab a bite to eat."

They all agreed, but because it was a weekend every establishment was packed with people. Fortunately, they found a tendon restaurant with enough space for them and they enjoyed a delicious lunch before continuing their hunt for the perfect present.

When they left the restaurant, they noticed an unusual shop nearby. It seemed to be a bookstore, but there were also all sorts of unusual items on sale as well.

It had caught everyone's attention, and they went in to take a look.

Sakuya was intrigued by the items there. It was not his first time in an outlet of this chain of shops. He had been there once with his friends in a different part of the city. However, the variety and uniqueness of the items never failed to amaze him both times.

The only problem is, the items were quite expensive. Everything that he had his eye on was out of his budget.

"Big brother, look…" Shizuki pointed to a corner, where there was a large bin with words like 'sale' and 'huge discounts' on it. "Maybe you can find something there..."

"That's a good idea! Thanks, Shizu!"

And indeed, he did manage to find something good.

"What do you think?" Sakuya showed it to Haruto, wearing a proud grin on his face as he showed the younger brother the item.

However, the boy only gave him a frown in response to his choice.

"Why does Mom need something like that?"

"But it's a hugging pillow in the shape of a chilli pepper!"

"I can see and tell what it is without you telling me. But like I said, why does Mom need something like that?"

"Well... Sometimes Mom gets lonely sleeping alone? I mean, Dad has been travelling out of the city for work and staying overnight at the location, so I thought it would make him feel better if he had something to hug at night..."

"I have to agree that you actually have a point, but why a chilli pepper?"

"Because Mom likes eating spicy stuff!"

"Ah..." Haruto had intended to put a different point across, but he gave up trying as his brother was much too simple-minded. "How much does it cost, by the way?"

"500 yen!"

"Only?!" The hugging pillow, just by visual estimation, was at least a head's length longer than Yukiko.

"It was on sale. Quite a bargain, isn't it? I actually saw lots of cat plush toys in that bin along with this and wanted to get them for Sora but I actually forgot to take my wallet out with me today." Sakuya admitted sheepishly. "Maybe I'll come by here with him the next time we go on a date!"

"Right... Anyway, Dad's over there at the magazine section with Yuki, so let him know that you've made your choice."

"Got it!"

As they left the shop, Yukiko had begun to feel sleepy. She raised her arms up towards her father, her silent way of asking to be carried. Ryuunosuke lifted her up gently, holding her against his chest.

"Well then, all we left is for Shizu to choose his present." He turned to his youngest son, who was walking next to him. "Do you have something in mind?"

"Actually, I..." Shizuki began, but he paused on an awkward note. "I... don't need to buy a present... I already made something for Mom last night..."

"Oh?"

"This..."

He took something out of his backpack and showed it to his father and brothers. It was a hand-drawn portrait of his family and home.

"Ohh!" Sakuya was visibly impressed. "As expected of our Shizu, the quality's really good. I don't think I've seen anyone use crayons look this good before."

"I agree that Shizu is exceptionally talented, but you are an exceptional case yourself, big brother." Exceptionally bad, that is; or so Haruto thought to himself, knowing that his brother would protest if he had said it out loud.

"Oh! I got an idea!" Sakuya's expression brightened up, "How about we get a picture frame for it? Mom's going to put it up anyway, so we might as well get one."

"Can we...?"

"Yeah, why not? I believe I saw some nice ones earlier on the same floor where Haruto went to get his present."

"It's on the way back to the car, so we can stop by."

"It's settled, then!"

With that decided, they headed back the way they came.

The picture frame for the drawing was quickly chosen and the purchase made within less than five minutes. This was because there had been one that had caught Shizuki's eye the moment they entered the row of shelves, and while there were many other varieties and designs he insisted on his initial choice.

"Thank you, Dad..." Shizuki mumbled as he returned his father the change after he made his purchase.

"It's nothing!"

Yukiko remained asleep the entire time, still carried by her father. She was not one to wake easily from her slumber, barely stirring even as she was put into the car and lifted out of it. Judging from past experiences, she would not wake up until an hour before dinner.

By the time the five arrived back at their neighbourhood, it was already half past four in the afternoon. There was an accident on the highway, which caused a traffic jam. Because of that, it took longer than usual for them to return home.

For the children, who were bored being cooped up in the vehicle, they were more than relieved to finally get out of the car.

When they arrived home, they were in for an unexpected surprise.

"Welcome home, everyone."

"M-Mom?"

For a moment, all three boys were wondering if they were seeing an illusion caused by their lethargy.

Ryuunosuke, however, let his lips curve into a warm smile as he caught sight of his beautiful husband. After slipping his shoes off, and getting Yukiko's rain boots off, he stepped into the hallway next to where Sougo was standing.

Without him having to speak, Sougo took over the role of carrying their daughter from his husband. "Thank you for looking after the children and house in my absence, Ryuu-san. Was there any trouble?"

"Welcome home, Sougo-kun. The children were well behaved and everything went smoothly. But weren't you supposed to return only in the evening?

"We managed to catch the early bus back. Where did you all head out to?"

"To the city, just to do a little shopping..."

"Oh? Sakuya, didn't you just receive a hugging pillow from Sorata-kun for your birthday last month?"

"Geh!" That statement reminded Sakuya that he was still holding the large item in plain sight for his mother to see. "Er, this, well... this... this a birthday present!"

"Oh boy," Haruto muttered under his breath.

Despite his age, Sakuya was completely incapable of lying, which meant that the cat would soon be out of the bag.

"A present? But both Sorata-kun and Manami-chan's birthdays have passed... unless, ah, s, it's for someone else?"

"Yeah! It's for you... oops!"

"Big brother!"

"I, ah, um!"

Sougo, who had already caught wind of the situation from the very beginning, could not help but chuckle at how adorable his sons were. "It seems that it was intended to be a surprise for me, wasn't it?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to be, dear. Come in first; the hallway's no place for a conversation. You must be tired from travelling, so why not take a rest first? We can talk about the presents over dinner."

"Ah, should I make dinner?"

"It's fine, Ryuu-san. I can start the preparations right after I put Yukiko in her bed."

"What's for dinner tonight?"

"Curry."

"Curry!" All three boys eyes lit up at the sound of the family's favourite dish, which was made once a week.

That made everyone look forward to the evening. The main reason was that they would be giving their presents to their mother tonight instead of doing it on his actual birthday, seeing how the secret had already been exposed. However, they were also eager to find out who would be the victor of their little competition.

Sougo's face beamed with joy as each of his four children presented their gift of choice to him, thanking them for the item as well as the feelings that they have put into selecting them.

However, when asked which he thought was the best, he was unable to give them an answer.

"I like the present that each of you gave me, so it's really hard to choose one that I like best. But, more than any item or object, just having all of you as my children is the best present that I could ever receive. I truly feel fortunate and blessed to be your mother. Seeing all of you grow up healthy and well is more than enough for me."

Later in the evening, the siblings huddled together to discuss their mother's words.

"To be honest, I feel like we all lost to dad."

Was what Haruto had said, but the younger two failed to understand what he had meant. Sakuya, on the other hand, simply did not get the implication.

As they were tucked into bed that night, they each made a vow to themselves that they would definitely choose a better present for their mother's next birthday. One that was more amazing than the one they had chosen this year, and that it would be much better than what their other siblings had in mind,

Ironically, they have all completely forgotten about their father's birthday, which was less than five months away.

When they do remember, however, it would certainly be yet another competition for the children of the Tsunashi family.

_Song of the Sun - Side story 4 "The Best Gift of All"_

**\- end -**

**Author's Note:**

> Despite how he is, Sakuya has matured a lot since the last time we saw him in "[Mission: Runaway!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14327154)". He's a bit of a dork and not very bright, but he has become a good big brother. He is also dating Sorata in this story's present time, after getting into a fight with him the previous year and confessing his feelings to him by yelling from the school's rooftop during morning assembly. If you were wondering, it was Manami's idea.
> 
> Haruto is the brains of the family. He looks just like his mother (perhaps grandfather). Sometimes gives off the air of being crafty. Without anyone forcing or telling him to, he has put himself on the right course to become the future CEO of the Five Star Company.
> 
> Shizuki, unlike his brothers, is shy and awkward. He has an exceptional talent for all forms of art and craft and has recently learnt how to sew from his mother. Unlike many people, he can see and interact with ghosts and otherworldly beings but will lose this ability when he grows up. He is constantly being harrassed by a certain spirit when he is around the members of the Nanase family. He has his father's hair and mother's eyes.
> 
> Yukiko is the daughter Sougo has always wanted, and the precious only-female of the family. She got her mother's light lavender hair and father's golden irises. She's the closest with Sakuya, who dotes on her the most. She loves sweet and spicy food equally. Although she does not speak much, it is by choice. She is quite capable of expressing her thoughts and opinions verbally.
> 
> Each of the children was born three school cohorts apart and named with something corresponding to the season they are born in (咲夜 > spring, 陽斗 > summer, 紫月 > autumn, 雪子 > winter). Each of them has their own unique personality, which makes it very fun to write them.
> 
> Ryuu and Sougo's another story, "At first glance" has started, so please look forward to it as the story progresses along with their relationship! I'll still write side stories like these as and when I get inspired to. 
> 
> If you love this series and want to read more, you can consider supporting me on [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/nazotoki)! A cup of joe a day helps to keep the writing bug alive (and also helps this dead tired human to survive consecutive overtimes at work)


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